


Purgatory '89

by Arbiter2991



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Afterlife, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Humor, Minor Original Character(s), Roommates, Season 2 References, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27738574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbiter2991/pseuds/Arbiter2991
Summary: The handler has gunned down Hargreeves Family, using Lila as a distraction. And since she never loved Lila, she got rid of her, too. But their existence continues, in a world with differents rules, than they know. Can they find themselves in this new reality, or they would be just to busy bickering with one another?
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Lila Pitts, The Hargreeves Family
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9
Collections: Discord Community Archive





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I like trying new genres, and decided it's high time for satire. And because we have October, I decided to go with afterlife satire.
> 
> As you recall, at the farm, Handler kills our protagonists and her own ”daughter”. This universe has no last resort time warp, and they all go to the purgatory ‘89 dealing with its rules.
> 
> I prepared a prologue, which should give you a glimpse of what kind of world we are dealing with here, but I am aware worldbuilding isn't my strong suit, so all questions are valid.
> 
> All in all this is a satire, so don't take it seriously. I am aware I am not a funny guy, but it won't hurt to try something new.

On the cold floor, Klaus was thrashing in his sleep, a scowl on his face. His torments did not last very long, as he was lucid moments later. Klaus was confused, groggy and sore. He sat on the floor and rubbed his temple to ease his headache, looking around while he was at it, blinking rapidly. 

A quick glance and a scent of old haystack was enough to tell him that it seemed to be the same barn where they fought the Commission. He saw the rest of his family lying nearby, wincing and rolling as they slowly regained consciousness. He couldn't help but grin widely. Usually, he was the last one to wake up.

Before Klaus could think of a witty comment to rub in their faces, a voice from behind him spoke, startling the medium.

“Hey Klaus, how was your nap?” asked the deep, rumbling voice.  
A slight shiver crawled up Klaus’s spine as he turned around. “What the hell? I thought you were gone!”

Turning back to meet Ben's gaze, he found the man standing casually against the barn door with his arms crossed over his chest and a grin tilting his lips. Ben lifted his chin in response to Klaus, a silent gesture, but one that displayed his confidence, his carefree youthful ease.

“I know you must be confused,” Ben stated calmly. ”But let's wait until the others wake up, including Lila,“ he said, arching a pointed brow as he nodded to a corner of the room.

Klaus leaned out to the right with a puzzled look, ”Oh shit! It's Diego’s chick!”

Soon enough, all of those gathered in the barn were awake with all eyes focused on Ben as they each stared at him with varying degrees of shock, bemusement, or suspicion.

"Not that I don't like to see you, Ben," Five began questioning him, arching a brow as he stared at the man. "But if you're here, it either means that we're dead, or that you, somehow, got resurrected." He crossed his arms as he stared at Ben, his gaze hardening as he waited for an answer. "So?" he demanded when Ben remained silent and stoic. "Are we dead?”

The others were too stunned to speak as they waited on the answer. Klaus stepped forward, as if to see if Ben was truly there, but Allison pulled him back. Diego cursed under his breath, ”Shit.”

“Quick as always, Five,” Ben chuckled. “And yes, you are. ”Ben reached into his pocket, retrieving a plain white envelope. Holding it still for all his siblings to see. “I’ll explain more in a second, if you would be kind enough to not interrupt me as I speak.”

Lila clenched her teeth. She didn't like this one bit, but she needed to know as much as possible about this supposed afterlife.

Diego got closer to her. ”I hate it too, but we better know what to expect here,“ he whispered to her ear.

“I know,” she spat. ”It just sucks that I didn't get to enjoy the little shit’s death.”

“What are you two whispering about over there, huh?” Luther asked. “If not for you two, we could have been alive.”

“Eat shit, apebrain! It wasn't even me, who gunned you down,” Lila growled. ”I was about to take you up on your offer of a truce." 

“If you are serious about it, stop calling me names then,” Luther hissed.

Ben cleared his throat. ”Guys! Can you just let me read this letter before you start throwing punches?”

“Fine!” Lila and Luther shouted simultaneously both irked by the opposing person.

Ben sighed and started reading.

_Welcome to purgatory, children of ‘89. First of all, I am not a god, but I decided to look closely into your lives and was utterly disgusted with all of the Commission’s machinations. So while I am sad that you died in such circumstances, I decided to give you a little compensation in the afterlife._

“So it's official; we're all dead,” Vanya frowned. ”At least we're together.”

Allison rushed to her side, “Exactly! You’ve got us to cheer you up. No moping on our watch,” she said with a giggle. It brought her comfort, which was a bit odd after getting told they were all dead.   
Vanya’s eyebrows raised as she studied Alison’s face for a while, but couldn't find any disingenuous gesture. She rewarded her compassion with a shy smile.

_Secondly, you need to be aware--this plane of existence isn't anything like the one you know. Your appearance reflects your emotions from the moment of death, but not directly._

In blissful ignorance and shock, no one paid attention to their own appearance, but upon hearing that, everything changed.

“We’re teens again,” Luther grumbled. ”Not so bad, all things considered.”

Vanya winced , as she gave herself a once over. Her dwarfed, childlike form immediately reminded her of years of standing apart from the rest. “Speak for yourself,“ she hissed, ”I look like a ten-year-old!”

“You tried to save one,” Five figured. ”Seems like you were deeply bonded with it, thus it affects your appearance here.”

“Aww, you’re so cute!” Alison cooed. ”Don't worry, Vanya, I’ll take care of you.”

Vanya crossed her arms, sticking her tongue out. She kept her own counsel, but a single thought occupied her mind at the time. “ _ Great, one more thing to worry about”. _

_You also need to know that while everything seems physical here, death isn't. If it happens to you, you'll get reborn at the place you were brought into this realm. But the process has undetermined time, and might cause deformation to your physical form. I highly discourage playing with danger just to satiate your growing curiosity. You also can't have children here, it would disrupt this plane of existence. I am deeply sorry and remorseful for your situation, but this is the way it has to be._

“You see why we shouldn't fight with each other?” Ben cautioned, looking around making sure the others understood him. None of them seemed to particularly care about his distress. “I am serious about this,” he cautioned again, his gaze hardening.

“Well,“ Lila snorted, “I wanted to kill Five, and now he’s dead. I guess I can bury the hatchet.”

“You're dead as well," Five replied. Narrowing his gaze as his brows furrowed, he stared at Lila with a scowl. "And it ain't like you're exactly trustworthy yourself!"

“Hey!” Diego snapped. ”I thought we were giving Lila a chance!”

Alison scoffed. "Neither are you, Mr. Cryptic," she said with a flick of her wrist, dismissing him. "Just stay out of the weapons." She paused, looking around at each of them in turn. "All of you."

A silence befell each of them once more, accompanied with suspicious looks. Ben knew that a truce wouldn't come easily for them, it would take time to build the trust they needed, but it was a decent start . . .  
He continued reading:

 _More so, you're not alone here. This existential plane is filled with soul echoes. Those humanoids are amalgams of various lost souls that would help you in various ways. Beware of mistreating them. They reflect human behavior after all, so they can and will not hesitate to retaliate if you cross them._ _  
__Also, the souls of a few other children born in the ‘89 incident ended up here, but to protect their privacy I can't disclose their names to you.. Although, you're welcome to try and find them on your own._

“What's an amalgam?” Klaus rolled his eyes.

Nobody was really sure how to answer. ”I expected this from Klaus, but the rest of you guys?“ Five just shook his head with disappointment. ”It basically means, those echoes have traits from more than a few individuals mixed together. They are likely more unpredictable than regular people.”

“Smartass,” Alison huffed indignantly. 

The others smiled with delight upon her comment, except Five, of course, who looked away.

_To bring forth comfort upon you all, you are placed in an early 90’s farmhouse with one soul echo, responsible for the animals that live here._ _  
__And you won't have any powers. Many of you wanted life simpler, and your powers would defeat that purpose. Also, it prevents mutual harm. Don't worry, if you feel like seeking a challenge, there are opportunities here for that, as well._

“No powers, and no responsibility?” Klaus called aloud gleefully with a twinkle in his eye. ”I can work with that.”  
“Oh, don't even think about it,” Alison stared at him. ”We will be finding you something to do. I, for one, would rather not live in a stoner’s paradise.”

“Low blow,” Klaus whined. ”Are you guys just gonna let her boss me around like that?”

“YES!” Everyone exclaimed. 

“Whatever,“ Klaus spread his hands in defeat.

_And last of all, don't seek to escape this existence, it's futile. There is none. Just try to enjoy it, and experience things that you were denied during your life._ _  
__PS; Sir Reginald is not here, in case you're wondering._

“Well, at least we don't need to worry about the apocalypse,” Luther said, stretching himself.

“Fair enough,” Vanya nodded. As she recalled her memories, her gaze became absent. With twitching lips, she said, “I didn't like that power much anyways.”

Luther's eyes widened, the blood draining from his face as he stared at Vanya. "I didn't mean to insult you." He gulped, his gaze falling to the side for a moment before returning to hers. "I just try to find positive things in our situation."

“None taken,” Vanya beamed, her smile spanning from ear to ear, revealing her bottom teeth.

The others agreed with her easily. The pink of her cheeks, the soft youthful waves to her hair, made her look younger, happier, than any of them had ever seen her. It seemed as though a burden has been lifted from her shoulders upon learning she is no longer alive.

Diego and Lila stepped close to Ben. ”So we're dead and stuck here.” Lila said.  
“How come you're okay with this, Diego?” she asked, bristling.

“It's not like we can do anything about our deaths at this point and time,” Diego nudged her. ”Don't fight over this, I wouldn't want to spend my first day in the afterlife throwing punches. I mean, we all had plenty of that recently.”

“I can’t be asked to deal with any more drama in this side of the afterlife,” Ben remarked, watching as the couple exchanged looks between one another. With one arched brow and sly grin he added, ”So you better leave your baggage at the door.” 

The couple clearly didn't share his enthusiasm, sending Ben suspicious looks and keeping their faces straight as an arrow. They didn’t argue with the man though, it was a good sign all things considered.

“Relax, lady,” Klaus said, approaching them. ”We don't bite… maybe expect Ben, but he can't transform anymore if I understood things correctly.” 

Lila threw Klaus an icy glare, causing him to back out a bit from such a cold gaze.

“Which begs the question,” Five threw Ben a suspicious look. ”How did you find us here, Ben? You must have been here for quite a while since you died before any of us did.” 

“Actually, I was here for a mere day.” Ben chuckled. While he understood where the assumption came from, they couldn't be farther from the truth. “Last thing I remember was my conversation with Vanya during her energy burst. Then I woke up near some police station with two envelopes in my pocket. One led me here and gave me a vague idea how this world works. The other one was meant for you.”

“Alright,“ Alison clapped her hands. ”I love mysteries, but I feel like my stomach is about to leak acid. If this world is physical, it means we must eat. Why not start with that?”

“I like the idea,” Klaus said. 

“Me too,” Diego nodded.

Luther's stomach grumbled.

“It sounds nice,” Vanya muttered.

“It's decided then,” Ben smiled. ”It's breakfast time. Follow me.”

And so, the eight of them started a new chapter in their life. Or perhaps, in this case, death.


	2. A casual day; part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there is some shopping to be done. seems easy enough? not with this family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First proper chapter, so long that I had to split it. sorry for that.

Settling in was a bit chaotic, but it went smoothly. Or rather as smoothly as possible for this family. Diego and Luther got into a fist fight over insults towards Lila; Lila shouted a couple of death threats to Allison, due to her bathroom routine; and Klaus, in his curiosity, ended up headbutted by a sheep. 

They also discovered that Clarice; the amalgam who was supposed to be their aunt and who owns this farm, took them in after mysterious arson to the orphanage they grew up in.   
She treated them fairly, and remained out of sight mostly, running errands around the farm. Long story short; they weren't rich , but they had a little bit more than regular, middle-class citizens.

It was a slow day, the clock lazily headed towards one p.m. Each of the farm residents focused on relaxing, whether it was reading, walking around the house, or cleaning.

A long, dragged yawn filled the living room. Klaus was aimlessly, switching tv channels between cooking programs and romantic comedies. “We’ve been here for almost a week. I’m bored. I think I'll swing by the bar today.”

Alison was just about done making her fourth espresso in the kitchen, and one extra for Ben. Slamming the cupboard, she bared her teeth, and turned in the general direction of her brother, “You are not leaving the farm, Klaus. We don’t have time to help you get back!”

“If that’s another argument, maybe we shouldn’t yell at each other across the whole floor?” Ben put his hand on Alison's shoulder.

“I hate to agree with Klaus, but he has a point,” Diego stepped into the lounge with Lila. His arm embraced her shoulders and she laughed when his fingers danced around her body. “We can't sit cooped up here for much longer.” 

Luther put away the glue and a broken photo frame, he tried to put together in the corner of the room. He turned towards them, “Don't you two have each other to entertain?”

“Keep asking and I’ll make sure to put on a show for you too.” _Perhaps with a little torture on the side_ , Lila growled, not even bothering to make eye contact with Luther.

Ben was sipping his drink. He knew all too well that fight was coming. _If I won’t do anything, they will go at it for a whole hour; maybe more._ He put his cup away, leaned towards the lounge and called to his siblings, “Guys, be civil, please.”

Four residents in the tv-room exchanged puzzled looks between each other, and stopped arguing for a while. 

"What's up Benny? Diego snorted, nonchalantly glancing at the kitchen. "Do you want to make a noise complaint or something?"

"Really funny," Ben said as he entered the room, his confident gaze never straying from Diego for a moment. “I'm just trying to stop you from destroying another part of the house. "We already have an extensive repair list.” 

Without pausing, he turned his attention to Luther, “Don't we?” 

Luther lethargically nodded. “Yes, we have. What of it? We already crossed off a few items on the list”

Ben offered him a smile, and took a moment to make eye contact with others.  
“I have an idea; If you are so eager to leave, then let’s buy some supplies for repairs; it would break the routine and improve our life comfort at the same time.”

“I don't like the idea of repairs, but if we are going to leave this farm, I’m in” Klaus stretched out, standing up from the couch. He leaned out towards Ben and whispered; “By the way; nice entry, buddy,” finishing it with gentle pat on his back.

“You don't like the idea of any work, Klaus,” Luther sighed. ”But I think Ben is right, we should do it.”

Ben liked the recognition he received. He did much better than he expected. in his modesty, he decided that a delicate smile would sufficiently sum up his acting.

“All right,” Alison cleared her throat, catching the attention of the people in the lounge. ”But we also could make shopping for dinner. For once, we let Clarice focus on the farm, and not bring groceries for us.”

“I thought she said, she is okay with it?” Lila rolled her eyes.

“Well, I am not,” Alison stipulated.” And we can actually choose the products ourselves.” 

“So we all decide on dinner this time?” _instead of you just taking over the kitchen_? Ben asked, sporting a sly grin. Exceptions are good, but he was still surprised that his sister was willing to make one.

Alison let out a muffled grunt. “Not you,too, Ben.” She shook her head, looking down and biting her lip, a single question ran through her mind. _Is it too much to ask for recognition for the effort put in here?_

"Relax, I'm just teasing," Ben looked at her warmly. "But in the spirit of unity, we should decide together; this one time. I will go find Vanya and Five."

“I'll go find Vanya,” Alison propounded. Biting her lip, she said, ”she is still on edge after ... well our death.”

A while later, all eight sat at the table together; neither spoke. Five drumming his fingers against the table surface was more than displeased with the tension. “Spill it already; I don't have all day. Why are we here?”

Ben scanned his eyes across the table, looking at each person in turn, “Alright guys; today we are going shopping, for house repair supplies and groceries.”

Vanya spoke next, her whole body tensed out, feeling the importance of the subject at hand. ”I wasn't aware that repairs are so serious; Do we even know what we need?” 

Luther sluggishly turned towards the violinist, "The repair supplies, we already have a list for. Those will be simple enough.”

Alison chimed in, ”We'll do the grocery shopping last, so that the food doesn't sit out too long.

Ben graciously nodded," That’s about the gist of it. We need to vote on dinner. Everyone; please voice your ideas, and we'll vote on what sounds good. Majority wins."

“I ... don't know.“ Luther bit his lip. He settled for the easiest and cheapest thing he could think of, “A stew perhaps?”

Five's guts turned at the sheer thought of such mundane matters. He was disgusted by the antics that came with voting together. Being in charge was so much easier than making a compromise. “Are you serious? Dinner voting? What’s next? Book club?”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Ben eyed his overbearing brother. Luckily for him, he had an argument to nip this rebellion in the bud. “ That way, nobody will be left out and complain about it later.”

Five rolled his eyes, “Whatever; how about something oriental like pho soup?”

Diego humphed, ”Figured you'd want something fancy. How about homemade pizza?”

“I second Diego's choice,“ Lila exclaimed.

With a pensive, absent gaze, Vanya said, “Pizza means we can choose favorite toppings. I like the sound of that.” Her small hands rested on her thighs, in an attempt to hide her concern about others' opinions.

Klaus was overjoyed, as he created a mental image of Diego's proposal. “Good one, bro! I’m in!” He rocked his seat so hard, that he almost fell over with the chair.

"Well," Alison gently interjected. ”It's already four votes, If you want pizza so badly, then so be it. But you guys would need to help me this time. Alright?”

"Wait a minute," Ben interjected, waving gently to signal his need to pause. ”We would need help with repairs too.“

Alison bit her lip, looking first at the crowd and then back at Ben. ”How about we split equally?” 

“Oh, give me a break,” Five growled, crossing his arms and nervously rubbing his fingers together. “Not only do I need to participate in family shopping, but also play a foreman after?” 

“Can you just chill for a moment?” Luther elbowed Five’s side, followed by an intense glare, and a slow explanation. “We got a plan. It would just be quicker if we cooperate, rather than argue.” 

“ I ain’t repairing this farm,” Lila huffed. “Especially if Five takes part in it.” She didn't even try to hide her wince at him, “I can help with cooking though; I heard it's relaxing in groups.” 

Diego thought it would be a great time to play a supportive boyfriend; he didn't like being around Five anyways, he looked in Lila’s direction and said,   
“If she does, then so do I.”

“I don't mind repairs, but… ”Vanya muttered. ”I don't think I can handle it with this child form.” Vanya looked at herself with a shred of regret in her gaze. “I’ll help in the kitchen, too, I guess.”

“Oh come on,” Klaus exclaimed, “It means I need to help with repairs?”

“Seems that way,” Ben grinned widely and grotesque, as he pictured Klaus doing the housework.

“I guess that's our plan” Alison summed up. ”We also need two drivers who aren't Klaus, or Vanya.” She looked apologetically at her younger sister. It wasn't her fault that the afterlife had regressed her to a child state, thus making her too short to drive.

“Why can't I drive?” Klaus's puzzled look mounted over the table.

“Because you're reckless,” Five shot back; ”I’ll do it.”

“Ouch, that hurts bro,” Klaus sent Five a quick, puppy dog gaze.

Five humphed, keeping a perfect poker face.

“I’ll be the second,” Luther offered.

“Any more objections?” Alison looked over the family. ”Good; let’s go shopping.” As she walked out the door, she wanted to make a silent prayer for sparing her the drama, but then the realisation hit her, that she isn't even alive, so it could be blasphemous. _This world is so confusing, but I take it over the looming apocalypse any day._

* * *

“Okay, here we are; a store with a literal mountain of spare parts and raw materials,” Five said as he pulled the hand brake at the parking lot. “Lets get those repair supplies.”

“Who’s got the list again?’ Klaus kept staring through the window as he asked his question.

“Luther,“ Alison said. “He and Ben kept talking about it for a while now. Frankly, I am glad they would get to it already. ”  
  
Five and Alison left the car, quickly stepping away from the vehicle.

“It’s odd how chummy they are here;” Klaus deadpanned. Wiggling in the backseat. “Don't you agree, Van?”

“I don't find it odd.” Vanya unbuckled her seatbelt. “They just keep themselves busy to cope with our current position, I guess.”

“Maybe,” Klaus shrugged. “It’s quite bonkers to be on this side. Even more so, how cozy it all is.”

Vanya heard a sound of clicking heels, she looked away from Klaus to see through the window; it was Alison approaching as quickly as she left.

“I don't want to intrude,” the former actress carefully tapped the car window, ”but we got shopping to do.” 

The demanding tone of Alison's voice quickly mobilized Klaus and Vanya who nodded and left the car, as well.

Diego stood next to the other car with his arms crossed, measuring them up, “What took you so long? Your seatbelt get stuck or something?”

“Let me guess,” Ben turned towards Alison, but kept watch over the former, carefree medium. ”Klaus just wanted to find a way out to smoke; not on our watch, buddy.” 

Klaus flared his nostrils. “You know what, Ben; I liked you more as a ghost.” 

Soon after, the group of eight stood in front of an alley of electric tools.  
The shopping aisle was full of merchandise. On the left, bigger devices packed in plastic boxes; drills, drill-drivers, milling machines. On the right, smaller appliances; grinders, heat guns, and accessories hung or lay loose.

Lila’s dreamy eyes scanned the merchandise around her with astonishment. “I’ll be damned, this looks like an armory,” she exclaimed. “It really sparks the imagination.” 

Alison got closer to Lila, her hand soon rested over the shoulder of Diego's girlfriend. Alison gave her a stern look, calmly giving a piece of her mind to Handler’s daughter. ”I know that Diego is happy with you. But please, dont try anything stupid; Remember what Ben said?”

Diego was about to step between them, but Lila raised her hand, signaling him to stop. “I know, relax,” she snorted. “I’ve just never seen anything like it.”

“Frankly, me neither, I was more inclined to order delivery,“ Klaus knelt at the bottom shelves, flipping through miniature hand grinders.

“It's not a tourist attraction,” Ben said. “But take a good look if you like, just be careful what you touch. Luther, please fetch that drill we talked about.”

“ Sure thing,” Luther answered, heading towards the large case, opening the lid to ensure it was the right model.

“What do you guys want to drill anyway?” Alison said, her inquiring mind, subconsciously made images of Luther in front of the wall with this monstrous device, with the dust and roar surrounding him like a fog. And to being honest with herself, that image scared her.

Ben quickly answered, “Rooms upstairs are quite vanilla, I for one, would like to change that. Thus we need to make a few holes.” 

“Or you are just gonna make peek holes?” Diego winked at his brothers cunningly.

Llila smacked the back of Diego's head, followed by Alison doing the same thing. Vanya and Klaus giggled.

“We don't have time for this,” Luther sighed. ”Alison, can you just go and grab the mold killer, while Five and I grab plaster and wood? And Ben, don’t forget about the toolbox.”

“Sure thing, “ Alison said. ”Come with me, Vanya, before they come with another brilliant joke.” She waved her hand, to encourage her sister to follow.

“Okay,” Vanya quickly closed the distance to Alison. It was barely a dozen meters, but her movement was wobbly; she still had trouble adjusting to body this tiny.

“Hey, Klaus,” Ben called. ”Put those grinders down, and come with me, please.” He stopped for a moment, “I almost forgot; Diego, grab the lime paint for me.” 

“Will do,” Diego muttered, ogling Lila while he responded.

“So,” Lila bit her lip, her tongue slowly caressing it right after, looking lustfully at Diego, “ You want to buy something? Or maybe watch drama unfold?”she winked playfully as she ended her speech.

“Yeah, about that,” Diego sighed deeply. “We probably should follow Five and Luther. They have a drill now, let's make sure they won't use it prematurely. But first…” He planted a rough kiss on Lila. “I love how you can ignore all the echoes around, and act naturally when others can’t see us.” He gently embraced her waist.

Lila quickly broke the kiss. “Well, I am a great actress, and I don't care what smartass is up to. If he ends up wounded or hurting others; it’s all the better. Can't wait to bust his ass about it.” She moved Diego's hands a little lower with her own, tightening their embrace.

“He’ll be fine,” Diego let out a heavy sigh. For a moment, he lost himself in Lila’s eyes, he couldn't stop himself from creating a mental image of following his most basic instincts, right here and now.   
Of course, that would be very bad for him as soon others learn about this, but there is no foul play in imagination.   
“We have about ten minutes, before others will look for us,” his wide grin couldn't be less subtle.

 _Two can play this game. Lila_ gets closer,very close, answering with the same expression as Diego just shown. “I like what you're thinking,” her hands started roaming across Diego's back, and she gave him another rough kiss wondering if she could add a little bite to it, but in the end, she restrained herself. “We better use them well.” She moved one hand higher to play with Diego's hair a little. 

Their estimate was far too generous, it took a mere few minutes for Alison and vanya to call them, “Hey you two!” Alison darted her eyes at the couple, she didnt care if this was judgemental, they didn't have time for talking about this. “Stop fooling around, we’re about to leave. Did you at least get that paint?”

Searching for understanding in each other, Diego and Lila disengaged their embrace and unwillingly left the aisle.

Alison led the fraction of the group towards the customer line which consisted of three soul echoes and the rest of their family. Vanya picked up the missing lime paint.

Vanya caught a glimpse that Five is irate, by radidly furrowing eyebrows and bared teeth.a The cause of that wasn't clear, although it surely had to do something with the messy state of Five’s hair. Once she got closer, she asked, “What happened to you, Five? Your hair is completely gray.” 

“Luther and I had a disagreement, and this donkey pushed me into a sack of gypsum powder,” Five gave his brother an icy glare. “Still a brute; even here.”

“I said I am sorry, you just couldn't stop rambling about the choice of that oak wood,” Luther shrugged. “You're not the only one who knows what he's doing.”

“Debatable,” Five snorted. He didn't even care about the hair, but nobody would dare to question his judgement.

“I am not the big guy side,” Klaus chimed in, ”Your wisdom can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

“Let's be civil, guys!” Ben called. “I know that those echoes around aren't real, but let's not argue in front of them.”

“Let the boys be boys,” Lila grinned. ”I want to see where this is going.”

“As if you shy away from fighting,” Alison pointed out.

“Fair enough,” Lila rolled her eyes. ”But not this time.”

Diego moved right next to Lila, throwing Alison a patronizing scowl “Come on, Alison, she’s not the one who did it.” 

“I know,” Alison nodded. ”But I don't want to give her excuses to cause more of a racket.”

Ben knew all too well where this was going; again. He quickly scanned their surroundings. He gulped at the sight of onlookers peering suspiciously.  
He calmly made a proposal. “Then how about we settle this right now? Luther,please tell us what happened. We already heard the Five's side of things.”

“Uhm,“ Luther hummed. “We went to the woodwork aisle first. we had about seven choices and Five started a long-winded lecture about them, I felt that we don't exactly need time for it, and picked the darkest.”  
Five couldn't help himself but to speak his mind about it immediately. His abrupt retort was loud, but he didn’t care. ”Which would be impossible to keep clean, that was an outdoor panel, mistakenly put on the wrong display. The guy from customer service doesnt know better;much like you.” His darting eyes were belittling Luther as he continued his tirade. “The oak is a much better choice for indoors, it doesn't splinter easily, it's cheaper to replace if needed. also,it isn't as heavy as the one you picked.”

Luther rubbed his temple nervously, “After a very similar rant, I gave in and picked up that oak to get Five off my case.” He cleared his throat loudly before he continued. “Then we went to pick up the plaster, and Five said we should start the whole repair from mold removal … and I don't know… I just snapped.” Luther looked down. Regret tightened his throat, making it impossible for him to finish the sentence smoothly.  
” It was me and Ben who made the plan and he wanted to turn it on its head.”

“Oh yeah!?” Five lunged forward, towards Luther, but Diego and Lila moved in to hold him back. Struggling within their grasp, he shouted, “I hope you choke on toxins then! Your list is stupid, I can do this thing better!” 

A couple of customers, menacingly glared at the enraged former assassin, but none voiced their opinion.

"Five, get over yourself!” Alison faced him directly, ignoring the echoes in the store as she raised her hand to slap the arrogant look from his face. Just before she would have done so though, she chose to let it go.

Five was so enraged that veins started to pop on his face, “Fine, don't blame me, if this tool botches this job.” He let out a heavy breath, watching as the rest of the gang stared at him concernedly. True to his nature, he responded with viciousness in his eyes and crossed arms on his chest.

“I won’t,” Alison said, turning towards Luther, “As for you luther, I understand that keeping temper around Five is hard, but you gotta do better than that. There won't always be someone else to mediate.“ 

“We have phones, use them first,” Ben joined the dispute. “I am glad no was harmed, but Alison is right. We can't have those situations.“

Queue moved, Klaus picked up the paint and passed it to the cashier, “Hey, guys, I hope you don't expect me to load all that stuff to the car. 

Vanya passed him the mold killer with a smile, “Sure not, have this.” 

“Thanks,” Klaus smiled back. 

With joined efforts, they quickly loaded everything to one of the cars.

“We still need to pick up groceries.” Alison quickly changed the subject, “ Let's not waste time. If we get stuck in evening traffic, I’ll have you go hungry until tomorrow.”

“Then how about we rush to that grocery store?” Diego chuckled. “I rather have you bossy than snappy.”

“Don't try me,” Alison hmphed, “I can be both if I want to.”

Lila was quick on her feet alerted by sudden change in the environment around her. The parking lot was fairly quiet when they left the store, and now the noise of dozens of cars spread around like wildfire. This couldn't have been accidental, but she wasn't in the best position to determine the cause. She used the opportunity to sneak in the snarky comment about Alison, shaking her head and grinning while she was at it. “She’s feisty! I like it!” Lila started to wonder what else could be hidden under the facade of the former actress.

Deep inside, Alison knew it would be for the best to not comment on it,but part of her wanted to challenge Lila. She may have restrained from violence, but she is encouraging others to descend into chaos. Alison could only hope this won't last long. Lucky for her, in this instance, she could just pretend she didn't hear Diego's girlfriend.  
The gang allow themselves some fun, during grocery shopping, much to Alison’s dismay, she would rather not witness any shenanigans in the process.

Firstly Klaus encouraged Vanya to try riding in a shopping cart, and she agreed with very little reluctance. Part of her was simply curious, she never had her chance in childhood under sir Reginald’s watchful eye.Luther and Diego made a bet over food samples about who would manage to eat a new kind of very smelly blue cheese without a wince; neither of them could do it.

For reasons unknown to the rest of the gang, Lila decided that it would be the best time to practice her long- lost ability to juggle. Which ended poorly for a food stand when she tripped, falling on her back and dozens of mangoes rolled over the floor.

On their way back, Klaus tried to tease Five about his plaster incident, but Alison quickly put her hand over his mouth, to ensure Five would keep focus on the road.

“Well,” Luther cleared his throat, while leaving the car. “We got everything we needed, and nobody got lost in the process. Good job, everyone.”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence,” Diego chuckled, along with Lila and Klaus.

“Moon explorer still thinks he’s the leader,” Five taunted Luther, rolling his eyes at him. ”Ridiculous as it may be.”

“I already said, I’m sorry , Five.” Luther was tired of repeating it. He hoped that others would help him, cause tirades with Five are literally draining his strength. ”I shouldn't have lost my temper.”

“Will you be okay guys?” Alison said, suspiciously looking back and forth between the two. ”We still got a lot of things to do. I don't want to worry about you using those tools for other purposes than repair.”

“I got this,” Ben affirmed, proudly puffing his chest. ”I’ll keep the peace”

Klaus was cheerful, once he heard Ben’s declaration. ”Look at him, maybe we can arrange a nobel prize for him?” He deadpanned, only to guffaw a few seconds later, his hand against his stomach as he gave a full rolling belly laugh.

“Goddamnit, Klaus!” Alison threw her hands around, giving her brother an intense, firm stare. ”I swear to god, I'll take away your dinner, if you won't treat those repairs seriously.”

Everyone raised their eyebrows upon hearing this. ”Damn, I didn't see her this serious for a decade,” Five said. A single conclusion dwelled the corners of his cunning mind; _And here I thought Alison was overzealous when she was about to slap me in a DIY store._

“Yeah, even my stomach turned a bit,” Lila muttered. _She almost slapped Five, scared Diego at the parking lot and now this scold? Damn, I underestimated her; she ain't a regular housewife._

Vanya didn't speak, but she kept close attention to the argument. She felt sorry for Klaus; in his goofiness, he is mostly kind. It was his idea for a shopping cart ride, and while it was childish she enjoyed it. It was almost painful to see him berated for an act of goodwill.

“Wow, that’s harsh,” Klaus rubbed his temple. ”I am sorry, I won't dare to cross you.”

“Good,” Alison calmly stated. ”Vanya, Lila, Diego come with me. And the rest of you; good luck. We’ ll see in a few hours or so.” Alison's hope was that the edgy lovers won't gang up against her in front of Vanya. She got through a lot in regular life, the less drama here, the better. She also worried a bit about Ben, but she also knew his capabilities in peacemaking, she figured that he got this with Luther's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2 willl get released in january. for early preview use discord.


	3. A casual day; part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hargreeves comes back from shopping.

”Let's not waste time,“ Five blinked nervously as his gaze moved between Luther and Ben . “ What's first on your to do list?”

“A radiator in my room,” Ben said. “It leaks.”

“Yeah,“ Klaus chuckled, hardly not choking. “As if it was alive and crying for attention.”

"Okay then,” Five turned to go upstairs. ”Let's start with that.”

Boys have gathered around a leaking radiator in Ben and Klaus’s room. It was a smilistic interior, tower bed in the corner, a large wardrobe on the opposite wall, a lamp on the ceiling; and a ridiculous, clay statue of a bald woman that Klaus insisted to have around.

Luther was about to ask Five to go downstairs, but his guilt, about the incident a few hours before, caused him to take water in his mouth.

Ben caught up on what’s going on, and chose to help him out a bit. He gently tilted his head towards where Five were standing at. “Five you got to go to the basement, cause we need to close the water circulation. Can you do that for me?” 

Five turned on his heel and headed out of the room, “Sure; I’ll be back soon.”

“Don't you mean you’ll be back in five?’ Klaus grinned widely.

“Shut up and pass me the monkey wrench, Klaus,” Ben called.

Once Five had returned, Ben quickly unscrewed the pipes and replaced the valve. Luther checked the efficiency of the new installation.

  
Five raised his eyebrows in surprise. “No more leaks, and it was quite fast. Never knew you’re so handy.” 

Ben, as humble as he was, wasn't above refusing praise, especially from a hardass like Five. He sent a radiating smile towards him. “Frankly, me neither, but one of us has to be, I guess.” 

“You think I am not handy?” Five glanced towards the drill resting in its case. “Give me that drill, Luther,” he said in a condescending manner.

“I meant no offense,” Ben said, putting his hands and head down in helplessness. Five always makes little things so personal. ”But if you want to prove yourself, be my guest.” He titled to the left, to make eye contact with Klaus, “Plug in the drill, Klaus.”

Five picked up drill, quickly assembling its elements. He faced the empty wall.  _ I made people full of holes, this is no different, I just need to aim this rather high and remember about vibrations. _ He caught Ben with a corner of his eye, ”So, what is it you wanted?”

Ben pointed to the upper half of the wall. “Just some space for a shelf or two. I could use it for starting out a collection or something,” he said, as his eyes began to glimmer with visions of the all the wondrous options he could consider.  _ If we are meant to spend an eternity here, I surely would like to have souvenirs from the good times. Might as well make some space for them now _

“Nice touch, roomie” Klaus beamed,staring at the empty wall. “Can't wait to see it come true,” He gave Bena a gentle pat to his back. 

  
“Will do,” Five huffed. ” _ Bastards; I took out countless people, and they dare to think I can't do a simple DIY job.” _ He turned the drill on the maximum rotation. It made a substantial roar, with dust flying in all directions.

“ Careful,” Luther cautioned. “This model has quite a kick.”

“I know what I'm doing!” Five snapped, continuing his work. Noise was a great barrier between him and his brother, and the wall gave in very easily. His eyes were so narrowed, that someone would think she drilled with them as well. His efforts made his forehead sweaty, dripping down the nose but he didn’t care.

“Clearly, you don’t, turn that off!” Ben called, looking at the quickly raising cloud of dust. He glanced at the very concerned Luther. It urged him to repeat himself. ”Let the big guy do this!”

A little while later, the drill steered to the left, and the wall looked like someone tried to dig a trench in it.

“Damnit, Five!” Luther exclaimed, moving towards the wall, and steeping right Beside Five. ”We asked for a hole, not a crater! Give me that!” 

Klaus maniacally cackled, watching as Luther forced the drill out of the Hands of five, “And people say I have problems with my attachment to my toys.” 

Five hissed, stepping away from the wall, looking for something that he could punch

Ben sighed and shook his head in disappointment. But now his main concern would be to try to calm his arrogant brother down. “You had your shot, Five. Now you and Klaus can mix up some plaster to fix that crack.”

Luther blew out the dust from the drill, and cautiously scaled the wall with his eyes. Using level, and pencil, he established another three entry points for the drill.

Five threw him a few contemptuous looks, while he and Klaus prepared the plaster to fill in the damage. Klaus Was humming quietly, completely oblivious to what was happening right in front of him.   


After about ten minutes, there were four holes with hooks in them, ready to lift the shelves. Ben patted his brother back. ”Thank you Luther, it seems like even without superpowers you're the strongest among us.”

“Ah, Thanks, you. But I dont think it's that big of a gap.” Luther spoke calmly reserved. He turned and solemnly gazed at Ben for a moment, before cracking an earnest smile. ”Besides, you guys have your own talents, too.” Luther put the drill back in the case, giving a wave to Klaus who unplugged it.

Klaus filled the crack, while Five sulked in the corner. “Well said. What’s left?” 

“A broken step on the stairs, I almost sprained my leg on that damn thing,” Five snorted. He bit his lip to stop his rant for once. It would be ridiculous of him, if he would do it soon after the drill fiasco.

Ben nodded, turning towards Luther. “Can you bring the wood we bought, Luther?”

“On it,” Luther exclaimed as he moved towards the exit, carefully to avoid stepping into the leftovers of the plaster.

A cheshire cat-like smirk spread across Klaus’s Face. “That’s all?” He threw a quick look across his room, not really feeling the difference made by hooks and the wall and new valve on the heater. “Damn I expected things to be worse.” 

“Don't jinx it,” Five leered from his corner of the room. “You can still help the kitchen if you want.”

“Don't mind if I do,” Klaus chuckled, leaving the room.

Five looked at Ben. “I can stay and clean the mess up here.” He sent him a cold stare as he added a quip, “ You can go and have fun with Luther downstairs.”

Ben knew that it was forced, but decided to act otherwise. “Thanks, Five, I appreciate it. “ As he left the room, he couldn't help himself but to conclude the whole situation. _ Too proud to say sorry, but not too proud to clean the mess. This guy has issues, but it's not the time to push his buttons.” _

A while later, Ben was kneeling on the steps, holding the hammer. He turned to Luther who was getting close. ”It's a nice piece of wood, you bought. It should make a great replacement.”

“Yeah,” Luther let out a deep sigh, as he picked up the wood. “Five was oddly poetic about it in the store. What was it again--Norwegian oak?"

“Yeah, I think so.“ Ben chuckled, removing the nails from the stairs. ”I rather not delve into Five’s mindset. Frankly I'm not surprised that he’s more fond of wood than people.”

”Amen to that.” Luther snorted “Five’s a good guy, but I’d rather not think about his quirks, like his reluctance to change his name.” He put away the old boards, while Ben was fittin in new ones.

Ben watched as Luther hammered down the woods, then he threw a quick look to the kitchen who was suspiciously quiet, despite them being not too far. “We can check on him later.Let’s see if the kitchen still stands, okay? Diego and his girlfriend are quite intense with everything they’re doing, so i am a bit worried .”

“Okay,” Luther nodded, ”Lets’ go and check.” He picked himself up, put away the tools, and moved down the stairs. Ben Smiled, satisfied with the fruits of today's efforts, it raised his anticipations towards the dinner. And it couldn't hurt to look at how things go at that front.

* * *

In the kitchen, Alison, Vanya Lila and Diego made quite a bit of progress, which resulted in sustancial mess. A keen eye could easily find evidence of their hard work among it all; vegetables, neatly cut by Diego and put in plastic containers; a tomato sauce, in which Vanya left a ladle; plastic packages, that Lila gathered and put in the trash. In the center of the counter a large, pizza dough in Alison's capable hands   
  
Bent over the counter, Alison cautiously blew out a breath, watching as flour made its way aside so she could continue to work on kneading a pizza dough. After about twelve( regular pizza is about eight, but this is bigger, and Alison isn't very strong physically) minutes she stopped, putting her hands on her hips and quietly gasping out of effort.   
  
After taking a brief look herself, Alison internally cursed for her lack of foresight to get one of the aprons, during their shopping. Maybe if she wasnt so distracted by her family goofing around, or arguing with one another, she would come to this conclusion, but she didn't, and she got to deal with the fact that her clothes are as messy as the very room she stood in.    
  
At this point the counter and floor were covered with flour, spices, and trash. The sink was full of cups, bowls and spoons, and the stove had a large stain, the result of the mess Vanya made relocating the tomato sauce into a bigger pot   
  
The triumphant smile spread across Vanya's face as she saw the stain from the sauce vanish away with each scrub she gave into it. Lila has giggled as Diego jested about the dough, calling it a soft wrecking ball.   
  
Forming the mass of dough Alison has been kneading into a rounded ball, she set it aside on the counter and covered it with a cloth towel. She exchanged looks with the people around her, and cleared her throat “This will do; we need to leave to rise. It would take an hour” She washed her hands and wiped the sweat off her forehead.   
  
She didn't miss the barely hidden snort of laughter from the other person in the room, and turned to Lila, narrowing her eyes.

"You've got a bit of flour on your . . . well . . . everywhere," Lila mocked her, mimicking hyena - like laughter.   
  
For half a second, Alison considered throwing flour at her, but chose not to. The last thing she wanted was to make the mess bigger. "You're helping me clean up," she declared, smirking at Lila's resentful wince.

  
Lila quickly scanned her surroundings.  _ Just you wait,  _ she made a mental note, actively searching for something harmless, yet effective in payback _. Aha!  _ She spotted the opened sack of flour, within her reach. Lila quickly reached towards it, intaking as much air as she could _. How about I decorate your face with it, you witty brat. Hope you like glitter. _

Diego knew Lila all too well; that silence meant she was up to something, He too, noticed the flour, and swiftly grabbed her hand before she could perform her act of sabotage. “Nice try, love, but not today.” He grabbed her other hand and calmly faced fer directly. “ You don't need to do this, because we would deal with cleaning quickly, “ He turned his look to the flour-stained chef, tilting his head in her direction “right , Ali?” 

Lila exhaled, _ Damn you, Diego. You had to get in my way. But fine you win this time _ . She eased up, and Diego loosened his grip over her hands. __

Alison rubbed her temple slowly,her lips twitching a bit, ”Thank you, Diego.” She threw an indifferent look on Lila; unsure what to do, she decided to play along with her brother. “Yes, we would.”  _ but this isn't over, Lila. We aren't playmates in your games. _

Vanya sent Alison a puzzled look, unsure what Alison was going to do next. Just in case, she thought it would be the best if they all focused on the mess they made within the last few hours. “So, what do we start with?”

“Hmm,” Alison looked around. She was mostly disgusted with the counter, so she naturally would deal with that herself. And to keep Lila occupied, she can have her work with Diego, Vanya should rest, she is exerting her child form a bit too much, but she wouldn't just go to the room if asked, she must choose a small,but significant task for her. ”Lovebirds; do the dishes. Vanya; put the ingredients leftovers back where they belong. I’ll clean the counter.”

Alison, being the multitasker that she is, kept a close eye on her surroundings, enough to see Lila muttering something under her breath, at the sink, and Diego's amused grin. Her concerns about backtalk were cut off when Vanya picked up a chair to stand on. ”Be careful, the floor is slippery.”

“I got this,” she said, stepping on the chair with a box of spices in hand. While closing the cabinet, she lost her balance, but managed to save herself from the fall.

“Woah, are you hurt!?” Alison shouted. ”I told you to be careful,” she added, rushing to her side.

“I’m fine,” Vanya said. ”It’s just this stupid tiny body!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration. Her hands slapped against her thighs when they dropped, her brow furrowed, cheeks pinked and eyes flashing. "I swear, my right arm is slightly longer than the left, and I keep tripping over my own damn feet. I'm having to relearn everything; even the most basic things, like walking !

“It’s okay, you'll get there,“ Alison softly responded, her deep, warm gaze was filled with parental concern. “Or you'll grow. It’s not something to get so worked up about.”

“Ali, let her spill it out. We would all be frustrated about it,“ Diego said.  “We all know, bottling things up does not end well.”

Alsion didn't like that intrusion. “Thank you for that, Diego, but keep in mind that anger is not healthy, either. We were brought here for a quieter, simpler life.” Her brother may have a point, but his impulsiveness mostly gives bad results. She wouldn't like it if that part of him would rub on Vanya; their little sister would be guilty of each bad result on her part.

Lila felt something was up with Vanya, but it didn't concern her much. Her focus was on the rising opportunity to be witty. “Hey, Alison!” she called. ”Simpler doesn't mean vacation; your own words.”

Alison groaned, darting her eyes at Lila, her teeth grinding, “ I know what I said. Thanks for the reminder.” She quickly directed her sight back to Vanya, straightening her face.

Vanya, crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “How about listening to me first? Huh?” The kitchen became silent for a brief moment. “ I know you mean well, most of the time. But I am my own person. I may be fussy, but I’d rather not have either of you agitating me, or calming me, unless I ask for it. Is that too much to ask?” As her eyes opened, she made a small prayer to herself  _ please let this work. _

Diego gulped. Vanya took him by surprise, and he couldn't hide it. He was rarely agreeable, but if Vanya would demand something, he would have no qualms to honor it. He knew that being outspoken is difficult for her. “Ugh, okay. It sounds fair.”

Vanya looked at her sister confused, dumbfounded even. Alison’s lip trembled, and she was blushing. “You’re becoming red, Ali. Do you have a fever or something?”

Alison let out a heavy gasp as she carefully weighed her words. Her steady gaze didn't break contact with Vanya for a second. “Yes, it might be a fever. We should lay down. We’ve got to wait an hour anyway.”

When Alison laid down, she stared at Vanya; she looked cute with her nose deep in a sci-fi novel.   
“ _ Jesus, I am so dumb. I almost hurt her feelings, again. We’re no longer on Earth and I can't stop doing it. I really need to get over myself. She’s not Claire, if I will make her feel that way, she will likely push me away. _

After their break was over, Alison, Vanya, Lila, and Diego met again in the kitchen. Group quickly organised earlier prepared toppings , creating a line of plastic containers, filled with bacon, grated cheese, peppers,_. The large dough was cut into four even parts by Diego, so each of them had one smaller dough to knead.

Vanya, groaned, and panted, as her tiny arms, were a huge disadvantage. She grit her teeth, and concentrated on seeing the task done. She wasn't the type of woman to let things go and rely on others with every aspect of her life.   
  
Diego was relaxed, something that he wouldn't expect given the company and cooking in general, “I would never guess, I would cook something more than scrambled eggs in my life. Or that it’s quite pleasant.” 

Lila snorted, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend. “And you guessed right, We aren’t alive.” 

  
“It still counts as an experience, it doesn't feel any different,” Dieg’s expression was limp; indifferent even.

“It does,” Vanya said. “It reminds me of a pottery course I once took.” It was a good time, creation was freeing, she just had no one to share it with. Focusing on distant memory, she didn't notice her movements get slower and more irregular, a small pain in an irregularly bent little finger quickly brought her back to focus on the dough.

“When was it?” Alison's curiosity made her face crinkle in anticipation of an answer.

“When I was writing my book,” I got a free entry, and it was supposed to be a good practice for my hands. Although, I don't think I could do it with my hands this tiny.”

“I know, “ Alison sighed, her weary eyes bouncing left and right slowly. “It is not fair. Maybe Five would have an idea about it?”  _ Although, even if he has it, he will want something in return. _

klaus strode into the kitchen, whistling under his breath. “About what?”

Diego pushed hard against the cutting board. He grunted at the sloppy work, picked the dough up and tried to round it up with awkward kneading, and was astonished by the amount of physical exertion he had to perform. This wasn't his thing.., He caught a glimpse of plaster remaining on Klaus's clothing. “Shouldn’t you be upstairs?” 

“Easy there, edgy boy, we handled Ben’s room problems,” Klaus said. “Actually we broke it a bit first, or rather Five did.”

Vanya quickly recalled the situation in the DIY store, an uneasy feeling rose inside her, like a punch in the gut. It's the second time that Five caused trouble that day. “What did he do?” she asked softly.

Klaus shrugged. “He wanted to take initiative with the drill, and was this close to tearing down the wall.” Klaus burst in laughter, picturing a narrow miss with his fingers. “Fortunately, Luther stopped him.”

Lila’s eyes brightened, ”Tell us more.”

Klaus beamed, tilting his head towards the avid listeners. “Sadly, there is no more to tell, he’s still sulking over his hurt pride upstairs. I’d rather not be close to him right now.”

Lila smirked, satisfied with what he just heard, she already had a few jabs in mind about Five’s misfortune. 

Alison had a hunch , that drama is around the corner,so she changed the subject before Lila would suggest something hurtful, ”what did you do, then?”

Klaus rubbed his temple, “Handed tools, held a pipe, mixed plaster to fill the hole; nothing important.”

“At least he didn't break anything,” Lila sent Klaus a playful wink, hoping for maybe one more juicy detail about the situation upstairs..

“That remains to be seen, “ Alison cautioned, “but I am glad you helped. We should have dinner ready in an hour or so.”   
  
Klaus feigned humility by remaining silent, but a part of him itched to boast.

A deep voice came from the outside. “ An hour?’ damn the time flies.” It was Luther, coming along with Ben. “I didn't think that we took so long.”

“Hi there,” said Vanya, greeting them with a shy smile.” Klaus just summarized your efforts.”

Ben looked at Klaus, curious about what that meant exactly, “Including Five being stubborn as always?” 

“Yes, he mentioned that,” Diego said. He surreptitiously glanced at the pensive Luther, ”He really drilled across the wall?”

“That part is true,” Luther nodded. “I don't blame him, but I got to teach him how to handle it on the next opportunity.”

“That is if he lets you,” Ben chuckled. ”Knowing him, he would read a couple of books, and would try again.”

Alison dried her hands with a towel, and faced the boys. “Sounds about right. What about the stairs?”

“We just nailed the new boards,” Ben said. “They are solid, so don't worry about that. Nobody will trip over them.”

“Glad to hear it,” Alison replied with relief and a slight smile. “Now please, leave us and have a rest. I will call you when dinner is ready.”

* * *

“Dinner time!” Alison called,flicking the lights on. Soon after, the boys upstairs left their rooms; Luther was stretching his arched back, Klaus pushed in front of Ben at the stairs, and Five gracefully strolled down, like a monarch.

"The oaken lacquered table was adorned with a homely yellow tablecloth. Napkins of a matching color were paired alongside glasses and utensils for all. And, as the grand centerpiece, four round steaming hot pizzas sat, enticing the group with a wondrous aroma that hung in the air."

“Wow,“ Ben blinked rapidly, enjoying the smell filling the room. “ It's much much better than expected, considering that Diego took part in this.”

“Hey!” Diego shouted toward Ben, his tight face emphasized his annoyance. “Men can cook, you know.”

“Oh, I know, “ Ben grinned. ”But I also know you ordered Chinese takeouts for most of your life.”

“As if you know any better,” Diego crossed his arms, ”Where you were around, it was Grace who made all the dinners.” The memory of Grace made it drifted for a while. He longed for the closeness of an equally open and caring person; even if she was an android.

“Fair enough, “ Ben replied, propping himself up with an elbow. He beckoned his free hand as a sign of peace towards dreamy Diego. ”I am sorry. I just didn't expect such input from you.”

“Are you two done?” Alison measured them up with her gaze; they answered with a nod. ”Good; let's start dinner. Luther could you bring the soda? It's right below the counter in the kitchen.”

“I am on it,” Luther said. He left the dining room and completed his task.

When he returned, all of them took their seats. Diego was face to face with Five, next to him was Lila with Klaus on the opposite side, Vanya squealed a bit with Lila beside her, but she found comfort with Alison on her left, Luther and Ben took the last remaining seats. Ben quickly scaled the table once more, filled with accomplishment, this day was much better than he would expect.   


Five was first to ask about details. He kept the usual poker face, but his eyes were alert as always. “So, what do we have here?” His throat was sore after forcing politeness out of himself. He swiftly grabbed his glass of soda to relieve himself.

Alison stood up, placing a reassuring hand on Vanya's shoulder. She gave her sister a quick, comforting smile before clearing her throat to get everyones' attention. "Vanya, will you do the honours?"

“Ookay,” Vanya said, slowly rising from her seat.. ”Ekhm; We have one lighter pizza with chicken, olives and broccoli, one with three kinds of cheese and bacon,” she gulped, seeing how everyone paid attention to her for once.

Luther blinked rapidly, surprised that Vanya is the one who made this presentation. But he was glad, he could get used to it.

Vanya steeled herself, slowly going forward with her role. ”One spicy with mushrooms and Jalapenos, and one with ham, dried tomatoes and corn. Of course all have some onions and green peppers.” Once she finished, she used her napkin to wipe sweat from her forehead.

Ben easily noticed the uncertainty, but he wanted to appreciate Vanya’s effort. “You put quite much thought into this selection. Great choices.” 

“Hell yeah,” Klaus beamed, leaning towards the centre of the table. “What are we waiting for!?”

Luther, who sat on Klaus’s right, nudged him on his side. “Thank you, guys. And you, Alison especially, for overseeing it.” As he looked at Alison, memories flashed back. How they went to the water after their mission in Venice, when he brought her warm food when she had the flu. It was so long ago, but in his memory these moments remain fresh.

“It was a nice change, to have help,“ Alison rewarded Luther with a coy smile. As she looked to the right at her helpers one by one, she was overcome with amazement. When she was alive, she did not expect to be able to count on them; except maybe the apocalypse.

Lila broke eye contact, pretending she had nothing to do with it.  “It won't be a regular thing, right?” she whispered to Diego.

“Can't be sure, but I think not,” Diego said.

Soon after, each of them had tried a couple of pizza slices, it was a period of calm ,glee and simple comfort. They rarely had such moments back on Earth, there was always something or someone in the way. Some of them actually started to believe that this lost land with no superpowers or real humans might be actually rewarding .

Diego kept a watchful over Five , who chewed his slice with unnaturally slow pace, lost deep within thoughts, after a while he called to him. “Hey, grumpy, you're missing out.”

“Mind your own business, Romeo,” Five's eyes suddenly lit up. Diego dared to enter territory where nobody else was welcomed. “I can look after myself.”

“Yeach, we know, two decades in the wasteland, blah, blah.,” Diego rolled his eyes. “ My point is, your personal schemes bring trouble, and it looks like you're doing it again.”

“Don't you worry, my plans usually involve using my powers, which I dont have here,” Five turned away, gazing at the window. “And I don't need to explain myself. “ He reached to grab a slice of pizza.

  
“Just leave him be, “ Klaus chimed in, “His salty attitude is gonna spoil the food.”

Ben looked around, everybody got tense from the banter between those two knuckleheads. He had to try to resolve it. “Come on, guys. You're making everyone upset.” He focused on Diego. “Listen, Diego, while I appreciate your keen observations, don't come so hard on him.” He immediately paid attention to Five, “And you Five; you know Diego has a point. You have a tendency to be extremely guarded. You need to relax sometimes too. For today at least.”

Five turned his gaze away from the window and back on the table. “You mean I should clown around? Like Klaus? I’d rather _. “You got some nerve,” He measured Ben up deeply and slowly, ”Brother,” he finished his sentence with spite.

“What I mean is,” Ben calmly reassured, keeping a straight, friendly face.  
“You need to start telling apart ill will from concern. I know in this family it’s not the easiest thing to do, but it wouldn't kill you to try.”

The tension grew as he waited for a reply each second, but under no circumstances could he show anger. He wanted to calm his brother, not to feed his defenses.

Five puffed himself up, rolled his eyes, and pursed his lips maliciously, “Funny you say that; we can't be killed twice, remember?”

“For God sake,” Alison slammed open a palm against the table to catch Five’s attention. “ Ben’s right; For a smart man you claim to be, you should know better, than to act on each taunt coming your way.” She quickly threw Diego a deep stare, “And you, Diego. You need to stop with the wild accusations. Just because we’re physically tennagers, it doesn't give you an excuse to act childish.” Her annoyance caused her to feel hot, and a bit tired. But she knew too well the price of dealing with handful brothers is a mental exhaustion.

“Now, who’s throwing accusations,” Lila said. “Diego's point was valid, he was right to bring it up. Five’s secrets always end up bad for somebody.”

“It's better to be discreet, than openly sociopathic,” Five coughed, looking away from the couple.  _ Hypocrites; all of them.  _   
  
Lila growled, her piercing gaze followed her accuser, “you were saying, something?!”

Witnessing the drama unfolding right in front of her, Vanya shrugged from cold shiver, her heartbeat became quicker and uneven, and her eyes didn't even know who to follow with everything happening around her at once. He was afraid that all the work, she was contributing to, would be wasted with emotions running high, as many times before.

One Luther caught a glimpse of upset Vanya , he decided to end this shenanigans; “Enough!” he boomed. “Alison is right, It is childish to aimlessly throw punches. We all made those mistakes back on earth; let’s not repeat them. We must be able to have at least one nice and quiet dinner.”

Ben paid him a small applause, “well said, brother,” he rewarded him with a wide and genuine smile, and turned attention back to Five and Diego, clearing his throat. “So let's start from the beginning.Five, can you, please just say what you were thinking so deeply about?”

Five hmphed, ”Alright, I’ll tell you what’s up. I was thinking about this place. It doesn't even have a name, and it's full of beings with multiple personalities, made up by some sort of illuminati.” He snorted, and cleared his throat. ”Echoes look harmless, but they aren’t. Am I the only one who’s concerned about it?”

Ben took a minute to consider it. It would be handy to know echoes better, and make sure they aren't a threat as five indirectly suggested, he put his hand on the table and leaned in towards the insufferable witty narcissist. “You’re saying, chaos scares you?” He saw that five did not like the notion, so he quickly made an addition, to play on Five’s ego a bit, and ease up his nerves.

“If you are alert about it, then It's serious. We shouldn’t ignore it.” 

  
“I am saying I don't like surprises,” Five said. “ I'd rather be ready for anything. If regular humans can’t be trusted in the majority of cases, then the same principle applies to them; even more I dare to say.”

“That is a good point, “ Alison rubbed her temple.  _ How could I miss this?  _ She mentally bearated herself, she knew that in troubled times Five is reliable, so it would be good to appease him, until make sure what they stand on. “You could tell us about your suspicions. This concerns all of us.”

“Oh, I see,” Five hmphed turning his face away from the table and rolling his eyes. “Now you're feeling unsafe, you’re curious; typical”

Lila crossed her arms, and straightened in her seat. “Philosopher is up to something, but what can we do? I doubt amalgams would be happy if we start to study them.”

Luther sighed, he decided that while trouble may be lurking around, he doesn't want to spend the rest of the night worrying himself or others.   
“It's likely that Five is onto something, but we can start with a name for this dimension.”

“I second that notion,” Ben said, “to establish a good name, we need one for our use specifically. Preferably something simple.”

“I got one!” Klaus called, positive buzz caused his body to tingle. “New Galveston.”

Luther tilted his head quizzically. “Why is that?” 

Ben quickly caught onto the notion made by Klaus, “New Galveston was considered to be a haunted city. Typical Klaus’ humor.”

“What?” Klaus shrugged. “We’re dead after all. We are in a haunted city; world even.” 

“We shouldn’t use it,” Alison said, closing her eyes for a minute to focus on the counteroffer. “This place was made for us, how about an umbrella farm?”

Ben shook his head, “ We’re supposed to build a different life here. Leave the umbrellas behind. I don't think we should use it.”

Vanya spoke next. “Purgatory is a symbolic name, of all in between good and bad, a place dedicated to learning from mistakes. Maybe we should use that?”

Diego raised his eyebrows slightly, playing compliant, but uninvolved. “I am not religious, but I like the logic behind it.” 

“Symbolism is what we need,” Ben nodded, “It's a great idea , Vanya.”On that note, he threw his gaze across the table, seeking acknowledgement. “Anyone have a problem with purgatory?”

A few seconds passed, no arguments were voiced. For a brief moment, they all thought about common cause, instead of old grudges.

“Damn me, I got nothing,” Five groaned. “I guess we got with Purgatory for now. We need to start doing something about the potential troublemakers, and maybe in smaller groups, to cover more ground. I already have a lead of sorts; Man named Ogbert, resembling our favourite swede in the local city hall.”

“Good job, Van! You outwitted Five!” Klaus beamed. 

Luther, Alison, and Ben send her warm, proud looks. Just to give her a little acknowledgement and avoiding making Five irate at the same time. Vanya’s cheeks blushed a bit when she muttered, “Thank you.”

“Yeah yeah,” Five dismissed the kind words to pressure them about them about his agenda. “Let’s go back to potentially corrupt officials. ” 

Luther considered Five’s words for a while, and he agreed with him. “Small groups bring less attention, plus a good way to avoid group tension. We should do it.”

Diego scratched his temple, “All good then, but we must stay in contact, in case we get in trouble.”

Alison cleared her throat.”Listen guys, we did a good job today. Let’s just eat and rest for today. We will return to discussing the swede clone problem tomorrow, okay?’

  
Another awkward moment of silence befell the room. Yet the lack of eagerness towards fighting felt good enough. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying the taste of pizza and listening to old ghost stories, courtesy of Klaus.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currrently I have problems with making soul echo characters, project is suspended untill I revise the issue.

**Author's Note:**

> Small request from me; I am not really good with tags, so suggestions about them are very welcomed.  
> In case of you would need to contact me, use this discord tag: Arbiter99#2934


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